Hands full at home, Iran is seen slowing cyber attacks on UK

ROME — Cyber attacks on the U.K. noticeably dropped off during the recent protests in Iran, a senior British defense executive has reported. Clive Higgins, the CEO of Leonardo UK, said that online bot activity promoting the independence of Scotland from the UK reduced as Iranian authorities violently suppressed civil protest this month.

The implication is that Iran has been pushing the cause of Scottish independence through malign cyber activity in a bid to weaken the UK, but slowed its activity as violent protests raged in Iran. “What has been very interesting over the recent period, given the social unrest in Iran, is the drop off in social media activity and chat bot activity focused on Scotland, elections and independence,” Higgins told Defense News. On Sunday, Scotland’s first ministe